Then he said to the crowd,
“Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one’s life does not consist of possessions.”
~ Luke 12:15
People usually put their trust in what is tangible and visible. For to see is to believe. They put value in what they see. And they derive pleasure in what they can touch. But what is often overlooked is that what is intangible and invisible is more precious and valuable.
In today’s business, intellectual capital is now more coveted and more valuable than physical assets and financial capital. A popular advice these days is to spend money on experiences, not possessions. Possessions are tangible and many people love to collect them. But they fade, are destroyed or become obsolete. Experiences are intangible but they stay with the person forever and can always be recalled from memory at any time.
In my life, my happiness has always defined not by what I possess but by the richness of my relationships. The value of my relationships is also determined by the time I have wasted on them. I think of all the wonderful relationships in the world and they are all intangible, invisible and with tons of time wasted on them. The touching scene of a mother and child moment is created through the many sleepless nights the mothers has wasted on her child. The beauty of a life-long friendship is formed in the hours that friends have wasted on each other doing nothing but just relishing each other’s presence. The strength of a marriage between man and wife is forged in the many moments they have wasted on sweet nothings and in arguing endlessly over nothing.
The Little Prince had it pat down: “One sees rightly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eyes.”
Lord, thank you for moments, not money. Moments make us more loving. Money only makes us greedy.